Un Women: Special Assistant - New York

Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

The Executive Directors Office (EDO) provides support to the Executive Director and the Deputy Executive Directors, the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), in the delivery of their functions, especially that of providing overall executive direction and leadership to UN Women. The EDO supports the ELT in providing vision, establishing priorities, fostering coherence amongst the senior management team, leading advocacy, ensuring overall management, oversight and accountability.

Under the supervision of the Executive Director, and in close collaboration with the Chief of Staff, the Advisor supports the Executive Director in the execution of her functions through providing high quality advisory services on issues related to her strategic priorities.

Duties And Responsibilities

Advise on – and assist in the elaboration of - the Executive Director’s strategic priorities:

• Review, prepare and/or organize information and materials for the Executive Director related to her strategic priorities.
• Provide coordination across different internal and external divisions and stakeholders, for the achievement of the Executive Directors priorities;
• Support the Executive Director to determine strategic engagement around key priorities;
• Lead or support special corporate initiatives of the Executive Director, including provide technical guidance and direction towards the implementation of the Executive Director’s priorities;

Provide Policy and Advisory Services:

• Identify and analyze opportunities and options and prepare policy proposals, statements, and position papers as required by the Executive Director, ELT or Executive Board;
• Analyze and anticipate potential for risks in directives and procedures and propose action to protect the Executive Director from such risks.
• Provide support to the Executive Director and Chief of Staff, on management and corporate strategic issues requiring their decision or response;
• Identify operational priorities for Executive Director’s office and support initiatives or responses to address such priorities;
• Support corporate innovations and change management processes;

Advocacy/representation and networking to further UN Women’s agenda globally:

• Liaises with Member States, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks and other civil society entities concerning the substance of the Executive Director’s public appearances and activities on behalf of the UN Women;
• Maintain networks and regular working contact with UN agencies, diplomatic missions, Executive Board members, other government officials, multi/bilateral partners and civil society organisations and the private sector to exchange information, build partnerships, and establish agreements within pre-determined guidelines.

Advise on building and consolidating partnerships across the inter-governmental space, within the UN and across civil society:

• Support the maintenance of strong partnerships with key actors related to the Executive Director’s deployment of her functions;
• Provide strategic and technical advice and substantive guidance, and develop and present evidence and rationale for strategic partnerships and partners on women’s rights and gender equality.
• Keep the Executive Director informed opportunities for strengthening UN Women’s partnerships;

Oversee administrative functions supporting the Executive Director and Provide effective communication and information management support:

• Review the Executive Director’s correspondence, delegate drafting and preparation of materials as needed within the EDO and the wider organization;
• Drafts background notes speeches, articles, and correspondence for the Executive Director, and reviews materials produced by UN Women Divisions and offices, responses to Member States and other stakeholders;
• Manage EDO colleagues providing support to the Executive Director and ensure clear communication flows.
• Facilitate flow of information and communication between the Executive Director and relevant stakeholders, internal and external;

Key Performance Indicators:

• Timely and quality technical advice and support
• Strong relationships with various partners and stakeholders
• Strategic events convened and UN Women presence and visibility expanded

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Creative Problem Solving
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Leading by Example
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Awareness and Sensitivity Regarding Gender Issues
• Accountability

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-values-and-competencies-framework-en.pdf

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Solid and proven IT and presentation skills including the use of spreadsheets, databases, Word, presentation software, etc.
• Strong sense of responsibility, confidentiality and accountability
• Strong communication skills, both written and oral
• Affinity with and knowledge of gender equality and women’s empowerment
• Skilled strategic thinker and excellent analytical abilities
• Strong inter-personal skills, communicate effectively with staff at all levels of the organisation
• Strong partnership building and networking skills, client-oriented
• Ability to work in a highly pressured environment
• Proven track record of success in policy and strategy development and implementation
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Good knowledge of, and work exposure to UN Women's goals, corporate policies and country offices programmes, operations, challenges and reporting

Required Skills And Experience

Education and certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in gender, social sciences, public administration, business administration or related field;
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• Experience working at a senior level in a front office is desired.
• Experience in gender and advisory positions is required;
• Experience working within the UN System at both a country/field level and in a headquarters setting is highly desirable;
• Experience in the management of complex units and situations is required;
• Experience in policy and programmatic work in gender equality is required;
• A minimum of 10 years of professional experience in international development, preferably working on gender equality, and women's rights is required;

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English is required;
• Knowledge of another UN official language is an asset.

Application:

All applications must include (as an attachment) the completed UN Women Personal History form (P-11) which can be downloaded from: https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc . Kindly note that the system will only allow one attachment. Applications without the completed UN Women P-11 form will be treated as incomplete and will not be considered for further assessment.

Note:

In July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly created UN Women, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The creation of UN Women came about as part of the UN reform agenda, bringing together resources and mandates for greater impact. It merges and builds on the important work of four previously distinct parts of the UN system (DAW, OSAGI, INSTRAW and UNIFEM), which focused exclusively on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Diversity and inclusion:

At UN Women, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment of mutual respect. UN Women recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, national origin, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, competence, integrity and organizational need.

If you need any reasonable accommodation to support your participation in the recruitment and selection process, please include this information in your application.

UN Women has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UN Women, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to UN Women’s policies and procedures and the standards of conduct expected of UN Women personnel and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. (Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.)

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